The ceremony for assigning guaranteed future classes, was underway. Even though he had secured a certain future class, Kang Sihyun, seemed discontented, a faint dissatisfaction etched across his face as Daun descended. Following her, it was Seowoo's turn. As she stood before the testers with a gentle smile, the same device that had remained dormant burst into a vivid blue as she raised her hand. It was a sight I had witnessed before.
"Examination!"
"Wow!"
Amidst the uproar, voices whispered, "Since it's Seowoo, you must have exceptional talent, right?" Although unfortunate, she was one of the Four Heavenly Kings. There was no denying it, nodding in agreement, as Seowoo turned abruptly towards Sihyun.
"...."
Their eyes met, and an eerie sensation gripped Seowoo, her gaze possessing an unnerving vision, powerful enough to discern our distance.
"No way."
Surely not.
She couldn't possibly be staring at me accurately from that distance. Brushing aside such thoughts, as I tried to stop dwelling on Seowoo, Lee Hamin stepped forward before the testers. With a hand in his pocket, his expression seemed rather arrogant.
Bam! Even before the results were out, screams erupted from all directions. Lee Hamin. He resembled the male lead from a novel.
And he was quite cocky.
[Lee Hamin]
"As one of the Four Heavenly Kings, he's the heir to a conglomerate, exhibiting typical arrogance. He's harsh in speech and awkward in dealing with people but treats my heroine well. His parents are chairpersons of an S-class company, and he feels inferior due to his more accomplished elder brother. His worries about chasing his brother's shadow fade as the heroine consoles him, leading him to fall in love with her."
A typical character setup. Observing Hamin, I glanced with a slightly peculiar look at his hair, which, despite not being red or blue, was simply black. Ordinary black.
A protagonist's hair being black in an online novel was odd. If Hamin's eyes weren't purple, they might have claimed it was an insult to the protagonist's usual variety of appearances.
Amidst such unconventional thoughts, as time passed, the tester, having completed emotions, emitted a white light. White light. It was a sight unseen before, igniting curiosity akin to someone unexpectedly pouring cold water over the previously heated atmosphere.
"Why's that happening?"
Even if it shouldn't concern me, I couldn't help but smirk, fixing my gaze toward the stage. Seemingly struggling, unable to speak, the teacher who had jotted something down on paper finally cleared his throat, then yelled loudly at the numerous students looking towards him.
"Dual-Class!"
"Wow!"
"Wow, Hamin-nim!"
"Oppa, so cool!"
"...."
It's chaos. Despite all being of similar age, their fawning expressions of 'Oppa' annoyed Sihyun, who, looking content, watched Hamin descend from the stage.
Dual-Class. Witnessing the sight of six of the world's five exclusive classes, there wasn't much enthusiasm. I assumed a protagonist would manage this much, so leaning against the wall, this time a boy with blue hair stepped before the testers.
His indifferent face observing the testers rendered him unassuming. It was undoubtedly Baek Geonu, tasked with the role of the cold member among the Four Heavenly Kings.
[Baek Geonu]
"As one of the Four Heavenly Kings, facially, he's so top-notch that some might dare to call him a top among the Kings. Since childhood, he's been immensely popular, often cast in street performances, leading to an exhausting life. He's childhood friends with Haewoon, yet despite being close to the Kings, he's curious about the heroine, who never initiates conversations, gradually turning his doubts into affection, eventually deeply falling in love with her."
Predictable. His facial appearance might exude a distinctiveness, but reading his character introduction, it was a shameless narrative. Sihyun, staring blankly at Geonu, muttered 'Tanker!' upon hearing the information, maintaining a composed expression even after hearing the students' enthusiastic reactions.
Even from a distance, it was blatantly evident he was good-looking.
The standards were high, hence, inconspicuously, Sihyun had a penchant for good looks. Even from afar, if this was the case, if I got closer, wouldn't I be completely captivated? Hence, Sihyun carefully assessed and decided.
Let's not get closer.
While Sihyun could endure Seowoo to some extent, Geonu was perilous. Determining not to get too close, Sihyun diverted his gaze from Geonu coming down the stairs, instead looking at Eunbaek, who was giggling softly. Her natural expression seemed mischievous and childlike. It was Haewoon.
Seowoo's laughter was tender but held a certain uneasiness, whereas Haewoon's laughter was innocent and sun-like. It felt like an angel had descended just to bring joy.
[Haewoon]
"As one of the Four Heavenly Kings, his innocent and charming personality amidst the larger, more imposing individuals makes him endearing. Being naturally small and cute amidst the larger crowd is his charm. With his distinct, natural demeanor and affability, he becomes the true soulmate of the heroine."
Around 173cm tall, maybe? Remembering the description of Haewoon being small and cute, Sihyun tried to estimate his height and couldn't help but chuckle. If Haewoon was small and cute, then Sihyun should be so tiny as to be invisible.
Honestly, it's unexpectedly...
He's been downplayed quite a bit, Sihyun.
Considering his role as an Impactor Dragon in track and being the childhood friend of the heroine, along with his handsome face, there wasn't much. He felt sorry for himself, feeling inadequate as a boyfriend to the protagonist due to his career. Sighing deeply, Sihyun snapped out of his reverie and focused on the scene before him.
Snap! The tester emitted a golden light, identical to Haewoon's eye color.
Similar to when Hamin's class was revealed, everyone held their breath in the unprecedented light. The teacher, seemingly moved to tears, announced Haewoon's class in a choked voice.
"Buffer!"
"Wow!"
"I love you, Haewoon!"
The crowd in the auditorium erupted in cheers as the class announcements were made. Amidst the jubilant students expressing their happiness, some boys even confessed their love for Haewoon, and Sihyun recalled a blog post he had read.
He remembered reading about how rare Buffers and Healers were, but witnessing the scene now, he realized just how scarce they must have been. It wasn't a Dual-Class, yet the impact of a single class on people was so profound, indicating it was an incredibly valuable class.
As Haewoon, smiling brightly, stepped down, the stage emptied. Everyone who had stepped onto that stage had left, making way for the announcement of the next five.
Feeling tense, Sihyun, clutching his bag strap tightly, stared at the teacher calling out names. Fortunately or unfortunately, his name wasn't among the five called. Relieved, he took a breath, but when he saw a student with a reinforcement class being announced and subsequently collapsing, his tension returned.
Yet again, in the next round, his name wasn't called. Though the number of students in the auditorium seemed to be less than a hundred, as it crossed eighty, Sihyun, feeling uneasy, stared intently at the teacher calling out names.
Ninety names were done. Ninety-one, then suddenly, the ninety-fifth. By this point, Sihyun was harboring a faint hope that he might have been overlooked on the freshman list. The teacher's words, "lastly..." shattered Sihyun's expectations.
"Kang Sihyun!"
Only on the ninety-sixth call did his name echo, and Sihyun, apart from the attention of the other 95 students, frowned slightly. Despite being called by the coveted name, the lack of joy confirmed the burden of being the last in this circumstance.
Under the weight of dozens of gazes fixed on his hesitant steps, knowing he was the last one, students were too preoccupied with their own anxieties about their classes. And among those gazes, there was one from Daun, filled with unbridled hostility.
He knew that making eye contact would be fatal. Trying to avoid crossing paths with Daun, Sihyun forced himself to look ahead, suppressing his lips against the countless eyes fixed upon him.
He felt nauseous.
Having never faced so many scrutinizing looks at once in his life, Sihyun, suppressing his unease, hurried up the stairs onto the stage.
As he scratched his neck nervously and walked, the kind-hearted headmaster guided Sihyun toward the tester.
The black tester, which he had only ever observed from afar, was now right in front of him. Taking a deep breath, praying for either enhancement, control, or flight, he fervently placed his hand on the tester, hoping for something safe and not too conspicuous.
While fervently praying, the tester, which had been whirring, suddenly stopped its motion after a few turns, emitting no light. It was the moment he anticipated.
Closing his eyes, hoping for a flash of green or yellow light, Sihyun's prayerful moment was interrupted when he opened his eyes to no change in the black tester. He turned to the teacher.
"Teacher?"
"This shouldn't be happening..."
Calling the teacher in a low voice, Sihyun watched as the teacher took the tester from his hand. Pressing a switch beneath, the teacher smiled affectionately and placed the tester back in front of Sihyun.
"It should work now."
"Yes."
Feeling puzzled about the malfunction, Sihyun nodded, placing his hand on the tester again. But to his dismay, the tester repeated its previous behavior, not emitting any light. It was exactly the same as before.
As the teacher examined closely with furrowed brows, attempting it thrice with no change, a stern expression settled on the teacher's face.
"Why is this happening?"
After a prolonged silence from the teacher regarding the results, the concerned headmaster asked. Lost in thought, the teacher, fidgeting with his chin, retrieved another tester from a box nearby.
Activating the new tester, the teacher gestured toward it with a determined expression.
"Want to try again?"
Cautiously responding to the teacher's question, Sihyun placed his hand on the tester.
Whirr, whirr.
The tester, despite spinning a few times, replicated the same situation as before. The teacher's expression turned rigid once again. Sensing something amiss, Sihyun nervously chewed the inside of his cheek.
"What's wrong since earlier? Is there some issue?"
As the perplexed headmaster approached, the teacher, fixated on the tester, finally spoke up.
"It won't display Kang Sihyun's class!"
"...!"
A sudden hush fell upon the surroundings. In the midst of the eerie silence, Sihyun, overwhelmed by everyone's gaze, faltered with a bewildered expression. His azure eyes, filled with confusion, met the teacher's and others'.
It felt unjust.
He hadn't hoped for mundane results, nor did he wish for incompetence.
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